Towards Democracy in Lebanon

Whereas in our previous DECLARATION OF SUPPORT 2-20-2005, we have called
upon the Lebanese authorities to hold accountable all those in charge of
security and peace in Lebanon when former PM Rafik Al-Hariri and his
friends were massacred, Whereas we have supported the Lebanese opposition
movement in its demands to:
- Unveil the culprit(s) behind the assassination of former PM Al-Hariri
and bring them to justice,
- Withdraw Syrian army, security and intelligence from Lebanon,
- Free the decision-making process in Lebanon from undue foreign
interference, and
- Hold free parliamentary elections,
Whereas we strongly avowed that the above demands must be attained by
strictly peaceful and civil means, And in light of the resignation of the
cabinet of PM Omar Karami,

We hereby amend our first declaration and affirm the following:

1) We salute our fellow citizens who have shown utmost civility in their
demonstrations and protests and we call upon them to continue their
peaceful march towards full independence and true democracy.
2) We salute the Lebanese Armed Forces who lived up to their Oath of
protecting the constitutional rights of the Lebanese People to freedom of
expression and peaceful demonstration.
3) We thank PM Omar Karami for gracefully proffering the resignation of
his cabinet and we ask his interim government to hold accountable all
ministers and government officials who were in charge of peace and
internal security on February 14, 2005.
4) We demand a complete and immediate withdrawal of Syrian troops, their
intelligence agents, and security forces from Lebanon BEFORE FORMULATING
ANY ELECTIONS IN LEBANON. We also propose an expansion of the UNIFIL
mission in Lebanon to cover the Lebanese-Syrian border, in light of the
interview given by the Syrian President to the Italian newspaper “La
Repubblica” (February 28, 2005), in which he openly declared the strategic
interest of Syria in holding Lebanon hostage until Syria “gets peace”.
6) We believe that a confessional system of government in Lebanon is a
fundamental bar to building a modern democratic society with equal rights
to all its citizens; therefore, we call upon all Lebanese to push for the
abolition of this confessional system and to replace it with a merit-based
system at all levels of government, starting with the selection and
appointment of the next Prime Minister and cabinet, be it interim,
transitional or lasting.
7) We aspire for an amendment of the Lebanese Constitution that embodies
the wishes of the Lebanese People to live in peace, in a sovereign and
democratic country that protects human rights, and in a modern and
tolerant society that respects diversity and thrives on equal rights.